Mila Kunis and Macaulay Culkin’s relationship was once one of the most talked-about in Hollywood, and yet it remains shrouded in mystery. For years, fans have speculated about what went wrong between the two. While both stars have largely kept quiet on the specifics, recent admissions and revelations about their relationship paint a much darker picture than what we originally knew. From Mila’s cryptic comments about the breakup to Macaulay’s personal struggles after their split, the truth behind their relationship is more complicated—and perhaps more toxic—than many realized.

A Hollywood Romance: Young Love That Seemed Perfect

Mila Kunis and Macaulay Culkin began dating in the early 2000s when Mila was just 18 and Macaulay was 21. At the time, Mila was still best known for her role on That ’70s Show, while Macaulay had already cemented his place as a child star thanks to Home Alone. They were both navigating life in the public eye, but they managed to keep their relationship relatively private.

They were first seen together in 2003, and despite being in the spotlight, the couple worked hard to keep their romance out of the public eye. Mila rarely mentioned Macaulay by name in interviews, and when rumors started swirling about them being engaged, she quickly shut them down, telling the press that they were just dating and not rushing into marriage. In the beginning, everything seemed picture-perfect. But as time went on, things between them began to unravel in ways neither of them could have predicted.

The Toxicity Behind the Scenes

What many fans didn’t know was that behind closed doors, the relationship was far from ideal. While the couple was deeply in love, their bond was marred by underlying issues that only came to light years later. In interviews and podcasts, Mila has admitted that she made some serious mistakes during their relationship, and while she doesn’t explicitly say that infidelity was part of the problem, there are strong indications that it was a factor.

In 2018, Mila opened up about their breakup during an interview with Armchair Expert. She said that she was “a dick” in her 20s and that she was too dependent on Macaulay during their time together. She admitted that she didn’t handle the relationship well, and in hindsight, she recognized that she had emotionally hurt him. While she never outright confessed to cheating, it’s clear that she feels responsible for the breakdown of their relationship. She has even suggested that she wasn’t truly in love with him by the end of their time together, noting that she was still figuring herself out during their tumultuous relationship.

The Heartbreaking Fallout: Did She Cheat?

One of the most painful aspects of the breakup was the public speculation surrounding the reason behind it. Fans and media outlets alike began to wonder if Mila’s mistakes included infidelity. While Mila has never confirmed cheating, her vague comments about the end of the relationship have led many to believe it was a contributing factor. The timing of their breakup coincided with Macaulay’s spiral into a darker, more reclusive period, which only fueled rumors of betrayal.

After the breakup, Macaulay seemed to fall apart. Though he has never openly discussed the reasons for his struggles, the timing of his emotional and physical decline pointed to the fact that the end of his long-term relationship with Mila had a deep impact on him. In interviews and public appearances, Macaulay appeared withdrawn, tired, and unhealthy. His struggles with depression and rumors of substance abuse became more pronounced in the years following the split.

Some insiders have suggested that Macaulay’s emotional turmoil and subsequent struggles with addiction could be linked to the emotional damage he sustained from the breakup. It’s widely believed that he turned to drugs to cope with the heartbreak of losing Mila, especially since he was already a vulnerable figure in the public eye after his childhood stardom.

Macaulay’s Descent: A Spiral After the Breakup

After their breakup, Macaulay was rarely seen in public. His once-golden career, which had included major films like Home Alone and My Girl, seemed to stall, and his personal life quickly became the subject of media scrutiny. Many fans were shocked by his rapid physical decline, with paparazzi photos showing a gaunt, disheveled Macaulay, fueling rumors that he was battling a drug addiction.

While Macaulay has consistently denied being addicted to drugs, he has acknowledged that he went through a period of intense depression following the split. He spoke about feeling completely lost, saying that he would sometimes spend entire days in his bathtub to cope with the emotional pain. This period of isolation and sadness seemed to coincide with the time after his breakup with Mila, leading many to believe that their toxic relationship contributed significantly to his downward spiral.

The fact that Macaulay never spoke publicly about the relationship or the breakup only added to the mystery, and it wasn’t until much later that Mila started to take responsibility for the way things ended. In an emotional interview in 2016, she admitted that the breakup was “horrible,” and she expressed regret over how she treated him. She even stated that she felt guilty for the pain she caused him.

The Lingering Questions: Was There More to the Story?

Despite Mila’s public acknowledgments of her mistakes, the full truth of what happened during their relationship remains unclear. Did Mila cheat on Macaulay, or was there another factor at play that led to their eventual split? It’s likely that we’ll never know all the details, as both Mila and Macaulay have remained incredibly private about their personal lives. However, the pieces of the puzzle suggest that infidelity, emotional manipulation, and an unhealthy codependent dynamic were at play.

What is certain is that the relationship was incredibly toxic in its later stages. Mila’s admission that she “was a dick” in her 20s suggests that she might have taken Macaulay for granted and treated him poorly in ways that went beyond just emotional neglect. The fact that she later admitted to being “too dependent” on him only adds to the idea that the relationship was imbalanced and unhealthy. Whether or not cheating occurred, it’s clear that Mila played a significant role in its collapse.

The Aftermath: Moving On and Finding Happiness

In the years following their breakup, both Mila and Macaulay moved on and found new relationships. Mila married Ashton Kutcher in 2015, and they now share two children together. Macaulay, on the other hand, found love with actress Brenda Song, and the two are now happily together.

While both have moved on from the heartbreak of their past relationship, the scars from their toxic dynamic are evident in the way they’ve spoken about it. Mila has expressed regret, acknowledging that their relationship played a major role in shaping who she is today. However, Macaulay has remained largely silent on the matter, only hinting at his pain through the public’s perception of his struggles.

Conclusion: A Tragic, Toxic Love Story

The truth about Mila Kunis and Macaulay Culkin’s relationship is much darker and more complex than anyone could have imagined. While their early years together seemed full of love and promise, the relationship eventually spiraled into toxicity, with both parties dealing with deep emotional turmoil in the aftermath. Mila’s guilt over how she treated Macaulay and her cryptic comments about the end of their relationship have led many to believe that infidelity played a role in the breakup. And while Macaulay has never publicly spoken about the split, it’s clear that it left lasting scars on him, triggering a spiral that lasted for years.

At the end of the day, both Mila and Macaulay have moved on, found happiness in new relationships, and built lives outside of the shadow of their past. But the truth about their toxic relationship will forever linger, a reminder of how even the most seemingly perfect Hollywood romances can crumble under the weight of emotional missteps and unresolved pain.